Attachment for knitting machines



June 3o, 1931. F, JQHNSON 1,812,700

ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed.July l2 1928 5Sheets-Sheet l Bymaoxlh Arranz@ ATTAcin'ENT. Fon ;iNITTING-h mcaixnsoriginal Filed July 125 192g 5 sheets-sheet 2 Inventor Charles T.Johnson ttarnej ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed July l21923 "5 ShQets-Sheet 5 CharlasV 127'. (joh/SGH Junc :'50, 1931. C; F,JOHNSQN 1,812,700

ATTACHIENI FOR KNITTIKNG MACHINES Original Filed July l2 k1928 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor hqrles ZI- Johnson @y/man@ ztorney June so,1931. C, F,JOHNSON' Y 1,812,700

ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed July l2 1928 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor C'lafles F Johnson Qmoish Attorney Patented June30, 1931 UNITED STATES .PATENTi OFFICE CHAELES E. JOHNSON, or sT.JoHNsv/TE, NEW Yonx, Esi-SIGNQR To WALTER s.

BECKER, or LITTLE FALLS, NEW YoEx ATTACHMENT Fon xNITTING mcHINEsApplication led July 12, 1928, Serial No. 292,226. Renewed December 5,1930.

The present invention relates to attachments for knitting machines, moreespecially for such machines as are adapted to make knitted paddings,and shown in Letters Patent, issued to Townsend, #229,487, June 29,1880; and the objects of the invention are to provide new and improvedmeans for operating the needle bar,.the roving carrier and the packingdown of the roving after it has been laid across the machine.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine embodyingthe invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine.

' Figure 3 is a detail section showing a brake mechanism.

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views, illustrating the packing mechanism.

Figure 6 is a sectional view, showing the needle bars and operatingmeans therefor.

Figures 7 and 8 are detail views showing the needles and guides indiiferent positions from that shown in Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an elevation of the trumpet and carrier thereof.

Figure 10 is a section al view thereof, and

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the carrler. Referring to the drawingin detail, it will be seen that the frame of the machine comprises ends5 and 6` vArms 7 and S project forwardly and rearwardly respectivelyfrom the ends 5 and 6. Shafts 9 and 10 are rockable in the barings 11and 12 respectively on the ends of the arms 7 and 8. Shafts 13 and 14are rotatable between the ends 5 and 6, in the same horizontal planewith the shafts 9 and 10 therebetween and in spaced parallelismltherewith. In Figure 7, the needle bars 15 and 16 are at restrepresented in the position at the time that the roving 17 is laidacross the machine. The front needle bar 15 is at its lowest point ofmovement and the back needle. bar116 is nearly at its highest point ofmovement. At this point.,-'1fthe back needle bar 16 is in a verticalplane and the front needle'bar 15 is disposed at an angle thereto toform a trough therebetween for receiving the roving 17 being devneedles.

posited. The mechanical means of moving these needle bars will beexplained later. It 1s sufficient to say now that both of the needlebars remain stationary in their respective posltlons until the rovinghas been carried across the machine. This is a decided improvement inthat it allows the roving being fed from one trumpet 18 to cross thefull width of the machine instead of several trumpets carrying therovings a fraction of the distance across as described in Patent615,585, Dec. 6, 1898.

After the roving has been deposited in the trough formed by the backneedles 16 on one side, the warp threads running from the front of theneedles 15 to the guides 20 on the other side, the roving is packed downb the lingers in a manner hereinafter describe This serves to make thepadding uniform in appearance and texture, and also prevents y theroving from getting in front of the back needles as the guides swingthrough to make the stitch, eliminating the danger of imperfection andstoppages.

Figure 6 shows the guide bar 20, after the thread has been locked aroundthe back After this, the back needles are raised sufficiently to allowthe previous stitch to slide below the latches and start downwardly, amovement universally used in knitting. As the back needle bar startsdownwardly, the front needle bar starts upwardly, so that when the backneedles are at the lowest point of movement, the front needles are attheir highest point of movement, the guide wire meanwhile making a laparound the front needles as shown in Figure 8, before they are raisedsufficiently to allow the previous stitch to slide below the latches.The needle bars then revert to their respective positions as shown inFigure 7 and the cycle is repeated. The movement of the needle bars isas follows: Two needle bar arms 22 and 23 are rockable on shafts 9 and10 respectively and have rotatably mounted on them, by means ofadjust-able studs 24, 25, 26, and 27 respectively, truck rollers 28, 29and 30, 31 respectively.

The upper rollers 28 and 30 ride on master cams 32' and 33 respectivelyand the lower rollers 29 and 31 ride on the lower side of counter cams34 and 35 respectively. These cams 32, 34, and 33, 35, are keyed on theshafts 13 and 14 respectively. These shafts are keyed together andgeared in the usual conventional manner. The shaping. of these cams toacquire the desired motion is a process well known in the fiat knittingart.

Adjustable links 36 and 37 are connected to needle bars 15 and 16 andarms 22 and 23 respectively. The needle bars are caused to remainstationary, during the laying in of the roving and the subsequentpacking by the design of the cams, sufficient portions of theperipheries of the cams being eccentric with their shafts, therebycausing vertical motion of the needle bars. The front plate 39 of theknock over board 40 between the padding and the needles and over the topof which the stitch is formed is adjustable to various distances withrespect to the rear plate 41,

allowing different sizes of roving to be used,

and padding of a variety'of thicknesses to be made on the same; machine?A series of smooth fingers 42 are suitably fastened to a. fiat bar 43.The ends 44 of the bar 43 are reduced and rounded and fitted in slots45, in the upper ends of levers 46, rockable on studs 47 and having attheir lower ends truck rollers 48.

These rollers 48 are caused to ride on the cam 49 by springs 50. Theshapes of these cams are such that at a'certain point, the fingers 42are thrown forward for a certain distance. A bracket 51 serves as abearing `in the middle of the bar 43, and at its lower end holdsan'adjustable stud 52, which acts as a fulcrum for a. lever 53. Thislever is 'connected to the bar 43 by means of two other looselyconnected links 54 and 55. It is obvious then, any movement of the lever53 will have the effect of swinging the bar 43 on its own axisandcausing the ends of the fingers 42 to be raised upwardly. Thismovement is accomplished by another cam 56, which revolves against atruck roller 57 on the lower end of the lever 53. The cams 49 and 56 arefastened to the cam shaft 14, and are so timed that after the rovingtrumpet has crossed the machine, the fingers 42 are both raised istrained over a wheel 62. The wheel 62 is fixed to a shaft 63 fixed inbearings 64. A pinion 65 `is on the shaft 63 and a gear segment`66meshes therewith being rockably n v ing therein, said first mentionedmeans inmounted as at 67.

A pitman 68 is connected with the gear segment 66 and is operated by awheel 69. The cablel or chain 61 is trained over the pulley 62 at oneend of the machine and a pair of pulleys 71 at the other end ofthemachine mounted in brackets 72 and 72', rising from the top of the. endframe member 5. It will therefore be seen that as t-he wheel 69 r0-tates,'th`e gear-segment 66 oscillates, thereby oscillatingr the shaft63 moving the roving trumpet 18 back and forth across the machine.4 Abrake 73 is mounted on a-pulley 74 'carried by the shaft 63. This brakeshoe 73 is fixed in a. loop like fiexible member 75, the lower end ofwhich is adjustably engaged as at 76 with a lever 77 rockableintermediate its ends as at 78 vand having aroller at its forward end asat'79, riding on the periphery of the wheel 69, the brake increasesfriction and imparts a steady movement to the segment gear 66 and theroving feeding table 61.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A machine for knitting padding including a frame, spaced needle barsrockably connected with the frame, means for intermittently moving theneedle bars with respect to each other, a trumpet, means supportedv onthe frame for intermittently moving the trumpet back and forth inthespace between the needle bars for deposit-ingroving therein, said firstmentioned means includingv mechanism for placing the needle bars at restduring the period of movement of the trumpet, a bar carrying fingersmovably supported on the frame for packing the roving in a compact massbetween the needle bars prior to the stitching operation. l

2. vA machine for knitting padding including a frame, spaced needle barsrockably connected with the frame, means for intermittently' moving theneedle bars with respect to each other, a trumpet, means supported onthe frame for intermittently moving the trumpet back and forth in the'space between the needle bars for depositing roving therein, said firstmentioned means including mechanism for placing the needle bars at restduring the'period of movement of the trumpet, a bar carryingfingersinovably supported on the frame for packing the roving in acompact mass between the'needle bars prior to the stitching operation,said movable support being rockable and further?! having its rockingaxis movable backward and forward.

3. A machine for knittingpadding including a frame, spaced needle -barsrockably connected with the frame, means for intermittently moving theneedle bars with respect to each other, a trumpet, means supported onthe frame for intermittently .mov-

ing the trumpet back and forth in the vspace between the needle bars fordepositing rovof the trumpet, a. bar carrying ngers movably supported onthe frame for packing the rovlng 1n a compact mass between the needlebars prior to vthe stitching operation, said movable support beingrockable and further having its rocking axis movable backward andforward, and tension means bearing on the trumpet moving means forsteadying the movement of the trumpet.

4. A machine for knitting padding com' prising the combination withspaced needle bars, means intermittently moving said bars with respectto each other, a trumpet, and means for intermittently moving thetrumpet back and forth to de osit roving in the space between saidneedle ars, of means for packng the deposited roving between said needlears. 5'. A machine for knitting padding comprising thecombnation withspaced needle bars, means intermittentlymovmg said bars with respect toeaclgoth'er, a trumpet, and means for intermittently-moving the trumpetback and forth to deposit roving in the space between said needle bars,of means for packing the deposited roving between said needle bars priorto the stitching operation.

6. A machine for knittin padding comprising the combination wit spacedneedle bars, means intermittently moving said bars with respect to eachother, a trumpet, and means for intermittently moving the trumpet backand forth to deposit roving in the space between said needle bars, ofmeans forpacking the deposited roving between said needle bars, saidmeans including fingers for projecting over` the deposited roving andmeans for causing said fingers to be projected and retracted and whenprojected to press down on the roving substantially as shown and dey 4oscribed. 1

7 A machine for knitting padding comrising in combination with spacedneedle ars, means intermittently moving said bars with respect to eachother, atrumpet, and Y means for intermittently moving thetrumpet backand forth to de osit roving in the space between said needle ar, of apacker located 2 to one side of the path of movement of the l trumpet,and means for movin said packer into position adjacent the nee e barsand in part `to project over the deposited roving, said packer includingmeans for moving the projected partdown on the/roving for the purposesdescribed.

55, yIn testimony whereoflfaixgny signature.

CHARLES F"JOHNSON.

